Image courtesy of 826 National

Dave Eggers’ non-profit 826 National is opening up new digs at 172 Golden Gate Avenue, at Leavenworth Street, in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The announcement coincides with Mayor Ed Lee’s efforts to revitalize the neighborhood, which has long been plagued by crime. “Even in the Tenderloin–which has a high standard when it comes to troubled corners–the intersection of Golden Gate Avenue and Leavenworth Street is notorious. It was home to Big Boy Market, a store that Tenderloin Station Police Capt. Jason Cherniss says was a ‘beehive of crime.’”

“That an entity like 826 Valencia is willing to come invest in a location like Leavenworth and Golden Gate, which really has a bit of history, means that we are not the only ones who know we are at a cross roads . . . we are going to help support them. We are going to make sure they get a win out of this. The police are. We’ll be here,” Cherniss said.

The new location will be the largest of 826 National’s seven outposts and, much like the offices in the Mission, will focus on bookmaking and storytelling, as well as after school programs affiliated with Boys and Girls Club and the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp.

The theme for the new Tenderloin space–in the Mission it’s the Pirate Supply Store; in Boston it’s the Bigfoot Research Institute; in Chicago it’s the Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co.–remains to be revealed.